AI-manipulated clips of Malaysian immigration officers lead to Indonesian passport scam

"I, Jeya, a Malaysian immigration officer from Kuala Lumpur, would like to share with all of you, for those who are looking to make passports, permits, visas and other documents, please send a message to Pak Anton Helistiawan on WhatsApp, God willing, he can help you all," says a man dressed in the black uniform of the Malaysian Immigration Department in a TikTok video on July 17.

Anton Helistiawan is Indonesia's former immigration attache to Malaysia. An image of a stack of Indonesian passports is overlaid on the TikTok video.

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Screenshot of the false TikTok post captured on August 21, 2025, with a red X added by AFP

AFP reached out to the phone number provided in the bio of the account sharing the clip, which led to a WhatsApp account with an image of Anton as its profile picture.

The purported officer gave an order form asking for personal details, including full name, delivery address and passport photo. They also provided a list of prices for the purported application service ranging from 700 to 900 ringgit ($213).

AFP found several TikTok accounts masquerading as the Malaysian immigration officer sharing videos that mention the Indonesian immigration official, Anton. All of the accounts linked to the same WhatsApp phone number.

Similar clips featuring other various immigration officers repeated the same claim, urging viewers to reach out to Anton for passport and visa applications.

However, all the videos contained visual inconsistencies that indicate they had been manipulated using AI tools, such as unnatural blinking and mouth movements, as well as glitches in the audio.

Despite the meteoric progress in AI-manipulation tools, such inconsistencies remain a good way to spot visuals that have been altered using AI.

Reverse image and keyword searches found the manipulated clip was first shared as a still photo by a TikTok user who goes by @bpjeya on October 15, 2024 (archived link).

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Screenshot comparison between the manipulated clip (left) and a genuine image of a TikTok user (right)

Subsequent searches on the account found the user had posted screenshots of the imposter accounts and labelled them "fake" in a post on August 5 (archived link). 

Meanwhile, a spokesperson at the Indonesian embassy in Kuala Lumpur told AFP on August 20 none of its current officers go by the name "Anton Helistiawan".

"The scam targets individuals who could not tell if the video is AI-generated or not, and those desperate to have Indonesian passports for the purpose of securing a job in Malaysia," he said. 

The standard price to apply for a passport is up to 100 ringgit, far less than the price quoted to AFP by the purported officer on WhatsApp (archived link).

The spokesperson also said that the only channel for immigration services was via online appointment with the embassy, not communications on personal WhatsApp accounts or with any other third party. 

AFP has repeatedly debunked imposter accounts offering to make academic certificates and "test-free driving licences", as well as deepfake videos of Indonesian government officials offering "cash aid" on social media.